His brows knitted tightly as he immediately let go of Nina and snapped coldly, “No one is talking about what happened back then. Why are you overthinking it?”

Nina’s lips parted slightly as she stared at West in disbelief.

I stepped forward to smooth things over. “Forget it, West. Nina probably didn’t mean it. I’m fine. Today’s supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not ruin it over something so small.”

West’s expression remained dark. Without another word, he grabbed Nina’s arm and pulled her away. The onlookers gradually dispersed, and the party resumed as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, I quietly followed them upstairs.

In a secluded corner on the second floor, Nina finally shook off West’s hand and complained in a soft, aggrieved voice, “West, you hurt me. And why won’t you believe me? Why are you siding with an outsider instead?”

Seeing her pitiful expression, West let out a long sigh, his tone softening. “You and I both know the truth of what happened back then. Erin hasn’t had it easy either. You should get off her tail.”

Nina stared at him wide-eyed, as if she no longer recognized the man in front of her. “What are you talking about? West, don’t tell me you actually think of Erin as your real wife now. You only married her to help me get away with it! That matter ended years ago, and I had served my sentence—at least on the surface. It’s time for you to dump her!”

West shook his head. “We owe her far too much. I’ve made up my mind to spend the rest of my life making it up to her.”

Just as he turned to leave, Nina suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

“I don’t believe you!” she cried. “West, I’m the one you love, isn’t it? We’re not related by blood. I know you love me. Otherwise, why would you do so much for me?”

As if she had struck a nerve, West’s body stiffened, and his hands were trembling slightly. In the end, he gave in to his desire. He turned back, cupped Nina’s face, and kissed her fiercely.

I silently stopped the recording, saved the video, and turned to leave the second floor. By the time West came back downstairs with Nina, the party was nearing its end. He couldn’t find me anywhere. It wasn’t until he returned home that he discovered me hiding in the storage room, crying quietly.

Hearing the door open, I pretended not to notice and let my sobs grow even more broken.

“Erin!”

West hurried over and pulled me into his arms, frowning anxiously.

“I was wondering where you were. What happened? Why are you crying?”

I quickly turned my head away, wiping my tears in a fluster with my sleeve. Then I forced a smile and looked at him.

“I’m fine. I just twisted my ankle while tidying up earlier. I was afraid you’d laugh at me, so I hid here…”

However, he stared at me intently, his eyes full of pain and tenderness. “Erin, don’t you know? When you lie, your smile looks forced. Anyone can tell.”

“I…” I glanced away in panic.

He reached out and gently brushed away the tear that was about to fall. “Tell me. Why were you crying in here?”

I bit my lip and held it in for a moment. Then, in the next second, I wrapped my arms around his neck and finally let my sobs break free.

“At the party, Nina mentioned my sister. I just thought… if my sister were still alive, she’d probably be about the same age as Nina now, but I’ll never get to see her grow up.”

At the mention of my sister, a flash of panic crossed West’s eyes, quickly replaced by guilt.

The arm around my waist tightened as he blamed himself softly, “It’s my fault. I was too busy with the party and neglected your feelings. Tell me, honey, what can I do to make you feel better?”

I looked down and shook my head. “You don’t need to do anything. As long as I can see you more often, that’s enough. West, can I visit your office more often in the future? I’ve been having nightmares lately—dreaming that you leave me behind. If we could eat together, talk more… maybe it would get better.”

West frowned slightly, clearly hesitant. All this time, he had deliberately avoided letting me enter his office. After all, that place hid far too many secrets he didn’t want me to know.

I withdrew my hands and smiled as if it didn’t matter. “If you’re too busy, forget it. I was just asking.”

“You’re lying again,” he said with a gentle laugh, tapping my forehead lightly. “It’s such a small request. Of course, I can agree.”

My face lit up instantly. I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “You’re the best, hubby!”

The joy on his face didn’t seem fake at all, and a flicker of excitement burned in his eyes.

Laughing, West scooped me up into his arms, and I shyly buried my face against his neck. Just a little more, and the disgust in my eyes would have been impossible to hide.

Over the next two weeks, I showed up at West’s office almost every day. I ate lunch with him in his office—meals I cooked myself—and often waited for him to get off work so we could go home together.

After Nina returned, she also started working here. At first, when she saw how frequently I was around West, she was clearly unhappy. She mocked me whenever she could, both openly and behind my back. However, after West reprimanded her a few times, she held herself back a lot more.

That day, as usual, I waited for West to finish his work so we could eat together. Instead, I ran straight into Nina at the entrance of the pantry. She seemed to be in a bad mood. The moment she saw me, her eyes narrowed. She was clearly about to make fun of me.

However, before she could say anything, hushed whispers drifted out from inside the pantry.

“The number of times the CEO and his wife appear together is insane. And he dotes on her so much. They are seriously perfect as a couple.”

“That’s right! Mrs. Grant is beautiful and gentle. With the CEO next to her, they look like a match made in heaven. Unlike someone else…”

“Hahaha, you mean Nina, don’t you? I’ve disliked her for ages.”

“She’s the CEO’s sister in name, but we can all tell what she’s really thinking.”

“I find it ridiculous. Has she looked at herself in the mirror? She’s incompetent, and she has a terrible temper. She’s nothing compared to Mrs. Grant.”

I watched as Nina’s expression twisted into something utterly ugly. She stormed into the pantry and smashed the mug in her hand onto the floor. The sharp crash echoed through the room.

“You bunch of trash!” she shrieked. “How dare you gossip about me behind my back? Believe it or not, I’ll have my brother fire all of you right now! And do you really think Erin is anything special? The only reason my brother married her was for my sake!”

As she spoke, her brows suddenly knit together. She clutched her chest in pain and collapsed into a crouch.

At that moment, West rushed over in a panic and scooped Nina up in his arms.

As he carried her past me, he kept reminding her anxiously, “Nina, calm down. Take deep breaths. Your heart can’t take this kind of stress.”

Once they were gone, I immediately took the elevator to the top floor, where West’s office was located. Even when he wasn’t there, he always had his trusted secretary, Hamish Wright, guarding the place.

Under normal circumstances, West should have been in his office at this hour. However, Nina’s sudden episode had disrupted everything. As for Hamish, he happened to be out on another engagement. So, I entered the office with ease, and because he had left in such a hurry, his computer screen hadn’t even been locked.

Very quickly, I found traces of Nina everywhere. West had saved her photos in countless folders on his computer, as if he needed to see her face at all times. Even when he used business trips abroad as an excuse, he had actually been accompanying Nina overseas, traveling and taking photos with her.

I couldn’t help but let out a silent laugh. West’s so-called sincerity was truly unpredictable.

Suddenly, my gaze stopped on a folder with an ordinary name but marked as the highest-level confidential. Something inside me whispered that this was what I had been looking for.

For security reasons, entering the wrong password three times would automatically trigger an alarm. Hence, I suppressed the storm of emotions inside me and, with trembling fingers, typed in Nina’s birthday.

[Incorrect password]

I tried again, this time entering my own birthday, but the same message appeared.

[Incorrect password]

Then, a string of numbers flashed through my mind. Carefully, I typed it in.

Just as I clicked the confirmation button with the mouse, a voice sounded outside the door.

“Mr. Grant, you’re back,” Hamish said.